No SD card is actually a good thing...

Hey folks,
You already know that I'm into that lovely Lumia 930 , so I've read quite a lot about it (and the Icon) it had only two disadvantages for the most , glance screen , and lack of SD card.
For the glance screen , if you use it you'll miss it,if you don't you won't ... And I'm the second.
But for that SD , it is actually somehow good, most of us don't use all that storage, believe me 32GB is really enough for most of the people and THIS PROVIDES GREAT PRIVACY !! How ?? Easy, if you lost your phone no one would take your files and pictures, because he can't get that SD out of the phone, and he can't access the files without knowing the password , and without password he won't use the phone, so he'll probably gonna do a hard reset and wipe everything!! See ?? It is definitely more private and SAFE .
What do you think now??

I think it's utter stupid not to include a microSD card. It's a feature of all 2014 flagships not to mention WP8.1 takes full advantage of it.
Just because some people don't use it or don't need it, it doesn't mean others don't need it. I do need it. 32GB is NOT enough for me. I take a LOT of pictures, I run a LOT of apps and I'm a fan of games. Every single great game takes over 1GB alone.
Plus, this is a FLAGSHIP. There shouldn't be compromises. The microSD should be there and then only those who want to use it, use it.

As for your argument about privacy and the possible loss...IF I was careless enough to get the phone lost or stolen, the LAST thing I'd care about would be the microSD. I would be more concerned that someone stole my 550 phone!

I think it's utter stupid not to include a microSD card. It's a feature of all 2014 flagships not to mention WP8.1 takes full advantage of it.
Just because some people don't use it or don't need it, it doesn't mean others don't need it. I do need it. 32GB is NOT enough for me. I take a LOT of pictures, I run a LOT of apps and I'm a fan of games. Every single great game takes over 1GB alone.
Plus, this is a FLAGSHIP. There shouldn't be compromises. The microSD should be there and then only those who want to use it, use it.

As for your argument about privacy and the possible loss...IF I was careless enough to get the phone lost or stolen, the LAST thing I'd care about what the microSD. I would be more concerned that someone stole my 550€ phone!

The iPhone 5S does not have microSD card support (nor did any model of iPhone), and it is definitely considered a flagship device.

Can you not encrypt SD cards? Maybe I took that for granted in my old Blackberry days.

Regardless, you shouldn't be storing sensitive things on your phone, anyways. Unless you take, or are able to take, necessary security precautions. Phones get lost or stolen all the time. No one plans to have their phone lost or stolen, its usually at an inconvenient time. ;)

The iPhone 5S does not have microSD card support (nor did any model of iPhone), and it is definitely considered a flagship device.

The iPhone runs on a completely different planet. You can't do anything useful with an iPhone without iTunes and iEverything.
Windows Phone 8 is much closer to Android (thank God!) so we should be comparing it with the Android flagships and not comparing it with the tied-up iOS offerings I think.

Besides, we've yet to see the iPhone 6. And...how can you have a "flagship" when you have no further offerings? Unless you consider the 5C which is just the same thing with a different cover...

The iPhone runs on a completely different planet. You can't do anything useful with an iPhone without iTunes and iEverything.
Windows Phone 8 is much closer to Android (thank God!) so we should be comparing it with the Android flagships and not comparing it with the tied-up iOS offerings I think.

Besides, we've yet to see the iPhone 6. And...how can you have a "flagship" when you have no further offerings? Unless you consider the 5C which is just the same thing with a different cover...

Are you serious? The iPhone doesn't count because it cant do this and that? The term 'flagship' means A COMPANY'S top of the line product. For apple its the iPhone 5s. For Nokia its either the 1520 or the 930. Android flagships are HTC One M8, Galaxy S5, LG G3, Sony Xperia Z2. The iphone6 will be out later and it'll take over flagship status from the 5S. but it cant compete on specs with its competition, does that mean its still not a flagship?

Flagship does NOT mean it needs to have the same everything as some competitor's product. A flagship is NOT defined by what some other company has, nor is it defined by a set of criteria. The iphone5s, and the Lumia 930 are just as much flagships as the andoid phones. Are they weaker offerings than the Android products? Spec wise they would be (the snapdragon 800 is apparently so obsolete to some people and the 801 is that much better......, and iPhone is still on dual cores and half the clock speeds) But that doesn't make them any less of a flagship. They would be defined as weaker flagships.

Are you serious? The iPhone doesn't count because it cant do this and that? The term 'flagship' means A COMPANY'S top of the line product. For apple its the iPhone 5s. For Nokia its either the 1520 or the 930. Android flagships are HTC One M8, Galaxy S5, LG G3, Sony Xperia Z2. The iphone6 will be out later and it'll take over flagship status from the 5S. but it cant compete on specs with its competition, does that mean its still not a flagship?

Flagship does NOT mean it needs to have the same everything as some competitor's product. A flagship is NOT defined by what some other company has, nor is it defined by a set of criteria. The iphone5s, and the Lumia 930 are just as much flagships as the andoid phones. Are they weaker offerings than the Android products? Spec wise they would be (the snapdragon 800 is apparently so obsolete to some people and the 801 is that much better......, and iPhone is still on dual cores and half the clock speeds) But that doesn't make them any less of a flagship. They would be defined as weaker flagships.

For you to have a "top of the line" phone, you have to have also a phone that ISN'T top of the line. Apple only does one phone, the iPhone. You can't have a "flagship" in a squadron of 1 ship. Plain and simple.
So the iPhone isn't a flagship of anything. The iPhone is the iPhone. It's Apple's phone and you know it's the best you can get from them but also the only thing you can get from them. The term flagship is used to single out the best phone a company offers in their catalogue. You have the Z2 as a flagship and then the E1, M2 etc. You have the 930 and them the other 10 Lumias. You have the S5 and then the other 100 Galaxies.
On Apple you have the iPhone 5S and that's it. And then you have last years model. Just like you have the Z1, M7, 920, S4.

For you to have a "top of the line" phone, you have to have also a phone that ISN'T top of the line. Apple only does one phone, the iPhone. You can't have a "flagship" in a squadron of 1 ship. Plain and simple.
So the iPhone isn't a flagship of anything. The iPhone is the iPhone. It's Apple's phone and you know it's the best you can get from them but also the only thing you can get from them. The term flagship is used to single out the best phone a company offers in their catalogue. You have the Z2 as a flagship and then the E1, M2 etc. You have the 930 and them the other 10 Lumias. You have the S5 and then the other 100 Galaxies.
On Apple you have the iPhone 5S and that's it. And then you have last years model. Just like you have the Z1, M7, 920, S4.

For you to have a "top of the line" phone, you have to have also a phone that ISN'T top of the line. Apple only does one phone, the iPhone. You can't have a "flagship" in a squadron of 1 ship. Plain and simple.
So the iPhone isn't a flagship of anything. The iPhone is the iPhone. It's Apple's phone and you know it's the best you can get from them but also the only thing you can get from them. The term flagship is used to single out the best phone a company offers in their catalogue. You have the Z2 as a flagship and then the E1, M2 etc. You have the 930 and them the other 10 Lumias. You have the S5 and then the other 100 Galaxies.
On Apple you have the iPhone 5S and that's it. And then you have last years model. Just like you have the Z1, M7, 920, S4.

The previous models are the one's not-top-of-the-line.
They still sell the 4S, the 5C isn't positioned as a flagship either.

typically they have three phones in a lineup at a time.

I don't know about you, but I would consider the 5S better than the 5C and 4S.

Sorry

/ontopic:

It really depends. An SD slot is a nice option that you don't always have to use depending on the model. an SD-less phone is technically not any more secure than a card-less-SD-slot-equipped phone.
What if you have to move media to another phone? Swap the card.
What's a thief going to do, take my music? I'm more worried about the device.

I'd prefer a higher capacity SD-less phone because it seems that's how Nokia does it, but if I could get 16 GB with an SD, I would consider it against 32 GB without a slot.

And having an SD card slot is kind of a deal breaker, what if your storage runs out, how are you going to be able to expand your phones memory and enable it to store more apps
Sent from my lumia 620 (the best low-end lumia)

The previous models are the one's not-top-of-the-line.
They still sell the 4S, the 5C isn't positioned as a flagship either.

typically they have three phones in a lineup at a time.

I don't know about you, but I would consider the 5S better than the 5C and 4S.
.

The 5C is the refurbished version of the 5 which, unlike previous phones, was removed. So you basically have one phone per generation, unlike on Android and Windows Phone. Currently on Apple you have the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 5C is last years iPhone 5 and the 4S is the one from 2 years ago.

So it makes no sense talking about an iPhone "flagship" when you have only 1 phone per generation. If you go considering the refurbished 5 and the 4S, you'd also go considering the 920 and the 800 as well as the S4, S3, S2 etc. I don't think it makes sense. The 920 is the flagship of the 2nd generation of Nokia Lumia devices. The L930 is the flagship of the 3rd generation of Nokia Lumias (which this time has only 2 phones). Whatever Microsoft Mobile produces next will be the first generation of Microsoft Lumia devices which will most likely have Goldfinger as the flagship.
The M8 is HTC's current flagship of 2014 devices. The S5 is Samsungs.

As for the iPhone, we MAY see the first REAL iPhone flagship if the rumours about the launch of 2 new iPhones this year - the iPhone 6 and the iPhablet - come true.

For you to have a "top of the line" phone, you have to have also a phone that ISN'T top of the line. Apple only does one phone, the iPhone. You can't have a "flagship" in a squadron of 1 ship. Plain and simple.
So the iPhone isn't a flagship of anything. The iPhone is the iPhone. It's Apple's phone and you know it's the best you can get from them but also the only thing you can get from them. The term flagship is used to single out the best phone a company offers in their catalogue. You have the Z2 as a flagship and then the E1, M2 etc. You have the 930 and them the other 10 Lumias. You have the S5 and then the other 100 Galaxies.
On Apple you have the iPhone 5S and that's it. And then you have last years model. Just like you have the Z1, M7, 920, S4.

Actually, many people that buy iPhones are perfectly happy with last year's (or two years old) iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, or even the non LTE iPhone 4S. As for Android, a lot of the flagships from last year are now @ $49 or free on contract. To tell you the truth my LG G2 is phenomenal value on Verizon right now free on contract - Snapdragon 800, 2 GB RAM, 13 MP camera with OIS, a 5.2" 1080P IPS screen in a chassis is smaller and lighter than the Icon and all of this years and last years flagships on Android. And, the best WP prior to the Icon do not stand up to my G2 (HTC 8x and Lumia 928 - no Pureview camera, 720P screens (at bigger screen sizes (>5") you can see the difference between 720P and 1080P). As for WP, I have spent considerable time with an off contract Lumia 521 and while its a nice phone and WP is a nice OS there is no "compelling" reason for me to switch and THAT is WP biggest challenge - it is no longer about new people buying their first smartphone.

I've personally have not had a dire need for a SD card on any of my smartphones, with the exception of my Lumia 521 which only has 8 GB of internal storage. It definitely makes sense to have a SD slot on that great little device.

I don't keep music or large video files on my phones. I prefer streaming music/video services like Netflix and Spotify. So the largest files I keep on my phones are usually pictures and videos that I've taken. If the phone gets full, I simply offload to cloud storage or my home computer.

As for WP, I have spent considerable time with an off contract Lumia 521 and while its a nice phone and WP is a nice OS there is no "compelling" reason for me to switch and THAT is WP biggest challenge - it is no longer about new people buying their first smartphone.

When it comes to developed nations like the U.S., Canada, U.K., etc. I think you're absolutely right. This is the biggest obstacle faced by challengers of the big 2.

And this is why Microsoft/Nokia has aggressively targeted the Lumia 521 towards emerging markets around the world where many people WILL be buying their first smartphone and there is a huge amount of market growth to be had.

I think if Windows Phone can establish a sizable foothold in emerging markets, interest will slowly increase in North America and will see improvements to the WP devices offered here.

I hope by the time my contract is up about a year from now that Verizon will have at least one 6" Nokia Lumia that I can consider when I decide which phone to get next.

Yea, the title here is totally bad in my eyes, a FAIL. When you look at most Android higher end phones (if not all of them) having MicroSD, I think it's a major fail for Windows Phone not supporting MicroSD cards on the phones. AT LEAST GIVE THE CUSTOMERS THE OPTION !

If the 930/ICON had a MicroSD and you didn't want to use it, or didn't feel secure with it, then DONT USE IT. Personally, in my eyes it's a MAJOR flaw with the ICON, I came from a 928 with 32gb, and was almost out of space, I move up to a ICON, Yep, same limits... I got my ICON because of a Nokia screw up (long story) but, over the 928, I would not of upgraded because sure it's a nice screen, CPU, etc, it did not help me on a MAJOR issue and that is space.

but it cant compete on specs with its competition, does that mean its still not a flagship?

Are they weaker offerings than the Android products? Spec wise they would be (the snapdragon 800 is apparently so obsolete to some people and the 801 is that much better......, and iPhone is still on dual cores and half the clock speeds) But that doesn't make them any less of a flagship. They would be defined as weaker flagships.

just for the record, the dual-core 1.3 GHz Apple A7 SoC is the fastest phone chip on the planet and can obliterate Snapdragon 801 in any and all benchmark tests.
so yes Apple is very much flag ship even when it comes to specs.

on topic: I agree with OP that SD card on a volatile devices such as phones is a huge security and privacy risk. 32 GB is enough for 98% of users. the remaining 2% can always get 64 GB versions or lower models with SD cards or even better, a iPod classic to store their huge music library. I'm glad that Nokia saw the wise ways of Apple by striving for the best performance and security by using only internal memory for flagship phones.

The 5C is the refurbished version of the 5 which, unlike previous phones, was removed. So you basically have one phone per generation, unlike on Android and Windows Phone. Currently on Apple you have the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 5C is last years iPhone 5 and the 4S is the one from 2 years ago.

So it makes no sense talking about an iPhone "flagship" when you have only 1 phone per generation. If you go considering the refurbished 5 and the 4S, you'd also go considering the 920 and the 800 as well as the S4, S3, S2 etc. I don't think it makes sense. The 920 is the flagship of the 2nd generation of Nokia Lumia devices. The L930 is the flagship of the 3rd generation of Nokia Lumias (which this time has only 2 phones). Whatever Microsoft Mobile produces next will be the first generation of Microsoft Lumia devices which will most likely have Goldfinger as the flagship.
The M8 is HTC's current flagship of 2014 devices. The S5 is Samsungs.

As for the iPhone, we MAY see the first REAL iPhone flagship if the rumours about the launch of 2 new iPhones this year - the iPhone 6 and the iPhablet - come true.

I think the fact that you can still walk into a store and purchase the 5c or the 4s makes the 5s the flagship phone. There are still other options for purchase but the 5s is still Apple's latest and greatest model which is what I think of when I think of flagship phone.

The 5C is the refurbished version of the 5 which, unlike previous phones, was removed. So you basically have one phone per generation, unlike on Android and Windows Phone. Currently on Apple you have the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 5C is last years iPhone 5 and the 4S is the one from 2 years ago.

So it makes no sense talking about an iPhone "flagship" when you have only 1 phone per generation. If you go considering the refurbished 5 and the 4S, you'd also go considering the 920 and the 800 as well as the S4, S3, S2 etc. I don't think it makes sense. The 920 is the flagship of the 2nd generation of Nokia Lumia devices. The L930 is the flagship of the 3rd generation of Nokia Lumias (which this time has only 2 phones). Whatever Microsoft Mobile produces next will be the first generation of Microsoft Lumia devices which will most likely have Goldfinger as the flagship.
The M8 is HTC's current flagship of 2014 devices. The S5 is Samsungs.

As for the iPhone, we MAY see the first REAL iPhone flagship if the rumours about the launch of 2 new iPhones this year - the iPhone 6 and the iPhablet - come true.

Merely a matter of perspective or spin. I would argue that it is by default the flagship device. It is the only ship to carry the flag, so to speak.

I would have loved sd card support in my 1020. You have to realize with these newer phones, especially the 1020 pictures and videos take up a lot of space. A 30 minute video recital at my kids school will take 3.5gb of space. You have hi-res pictures that are 40+mb each plus the 3-4mb lower res shot. Your hitting almost 50mb for each shot taken. It adds up fast. Add on some music, podcasts and apps and t hat 32gb phone starts running low quickly.

I plan to use my L1520 on my holidays as a single replacement of every device i used to drag along .
No more:
Tablet
Laptop
E-reader
DSLR camera
Camcorder,
... to keep an eye on, but just one device thats big enough to read the news or an E-book on, that makes great pictures and very good video's and has an office suite that allows me to make changes in documents on the go.
So, yes, i put an 128 gb card in my flagship, because that is what my 1520 is.

Am i worried about theft?
Yes i am, thats why i don't want to carry al the other equipment along anymore, and have my Nokia in my pocket where no one can touch it.